


The Ring

by fitzu



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Denial of Feelings, Feelings Realization, Imagination, Jealousy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:26:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24321997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fitzu/pseuds/fitzu
Summary: Yurileth Week Day 8: FutureWith the march to Enbarr coming soon, everyone is expected to sort out any unfinished business before the war concludes. For Yuri, he finds himself in the marketplace debating over a certain object.
Relationships: Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/My Unit | Byleth
Kudos: 72





	The Ring

His eyes locked on the man’s smile. Contrarily, his lips formed a downward crescent. The fond words shared between him and the king did not leave a good taste in the mouth of the rogue. However, it was not his place to dictate who his former professor could or could not be around. He shrugged at the sight lackadaisical at first, not willing to admit to how it bothered him. They were all fresh off the victory at Fort Merceus and aimed to plunge a figurative into the Empire’s heart. It was only natural that Byleth’s time was better spent planning than anything else.

Rather than bother approaching, the lavender-haired man turned himself and proceeded toward the marketplace. A nice stroll was all he needed to get his mind away from the other. There was no need to dwell on simple conversations. It was only his intent to ask the man if a meal sounded pleasant before their march the next day. It was only a simple gesture. He wanted to give some respite before their future ahead. They were nearing the conclusion of Fódlan’s bloodiest chapter.

The figure of Byleth and the monarch disappeared into the distance. Eventually, they were completely out of sight. Instead, the new scenery was a bustling bazaar. War ravaged many merchants and their buyers, but commerce around the monastery grew under the protection of their professor. Everyone took pushing their wares with great zeal. His eyes scanned the weapon sellers. Swords, shields, and lances lined the way of the path.

Their convoy was practically filled, ready for any opposition. There was no need to spill a few coins on another Levin Sword. The trickster's attention wandered to other trinkets. He was never one of for jewelry or accessories, but it brought a pleasant feeling to see someone peddling such needless items for war. It made him aware of the future. Peace was on the horizon. This confrontation at Enbarr would decide everything. With morale at an all-time high, there was a sense of inevitability with Dimitri's victory. People already readied the Blue Lions brooches and sold Faerghus’ emblems.

And yet, Yuri was focused on another item present. The gleam of the gem caught his eyes immediately. The emerald was in pristine condition, perfectly rounded, and reflected the shine of the sun quite beautifully. It was held in place by a silver band, not a single mark marring the smooth surface of the rare metal. His mind wandered. His mind honed in on a familiar face. The professor's smile occupied his thoughts. Upon arriving at the thought, his eyes widened in shock. He furiously shook his head at the concept.

He was grateful that the shopkeeper did not notice his stare. He did not need that item. It would only serve as a paperweight at best in the other’s eyes. Byleth would not need the ring. In fact, he scoffed at the idea of even presenting it in the first place. Why would he waste a considerable amount of gold on a silly accessory?

There was no reason for him to purchase it. Byleth was dependable and accrued a sizable debt from Yuri, but he did not need to repay it with a dumb misunderstanding. Not only would the green-haired man not want the item, but he also did not need him to think he was in love.

Love.

He was not in love. His head shook once again at the idea. His eyes trailed back to the ring. He was not about to admit to the fact that he was possibly attracted to his former professor. It was a silly notion.

“Yuri?” He jumped at the voice. His eyes narrowed at the two figures approaching him, Balthus and Hapi. He imagined Constance opted to stay inside and not join the other two Ashen Wolves.

The trickster moved his gaze to his new company, allowing his thoughts to wander away from the ring. His sheer proximity to the stand did not help his case. “What are you two up to? I imagine that there is still much to do before we leave,” Everyone had a considerable amount left to do. Yuri himself still had a few responsibilities to consider. He had to make sure Abyss would survive without him for the next month or so. He accomplished much in the days leading up, but his lackeys were not the brightest lot.

"We assumed you might be around the professor, but to think you were ring shopping." Hapi's blunt words caused their boss's eyes to widen in shock. He would dignify the comment with a serious reaction. Instead, he pinched his nose and acted disappointed at the assumption. The wrong assumption.

"What are you talking about? I have better things to spend on than a piece of jewelry for myself," His acting was without peer. He maintained a calm and disapproving disposition in the face of his peers.

Balthus outright laughed at the man’s words. This much caused Yuri’s eyebrow to rise in confusion. “She wasn’t talking about yourself. She was talking about a little gift for the professor.” His words earned an immediate roll of the eyes. “Hey, don’t give me that look! We both know about your feelings.”

Yuri looked in disbelief at the two. His facade momentarily cracked at the scrutiny. None of what they said made sense. His feelings for Byleth? He respected the man immensely, but nothing like how the two described. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” He acted coyly, “I do not have any feelings for him. I want him working for me if that is what you’re wondering. We could make a great partnership.”

“A partnership, eh?” Balthus poked his shoulder into Yuri’s side.

His boss at first nodded to the idea, “Yes, that’s exactly... Wait, Balthus, don’t go twisting my words against me. I have my priorities on the matter. He is better as a close aide in the Church.” Working alongside Byleth would yield great results for his underground community. He was sure there was a future in relying on the other. But not in the way that the other insinuated.

Hapi stepped in when the teasing did not look to make the lavender-haired admit to the fact. “Yuri-bird, don’t start acting dumb. It is clear that you’re acting oblivious,” The red-haired woman was always forward with her thoughts.

“Hey now, I was looking forward to pulling the information out of him.” Balthus protested, but he did not have much to say with the gaze the woman gave their boss.

“You two,” Yuri sighed, “why are you both so fixed on this irrational idea?” He was starting to think he was better off waiting with the professor and trying to grab a bite with him.

In perfect unison, the two answered. “It is not irrational,” They both stated quickly. They had no hesitation on that matter. It was clear that they were set on the idea.

Balthus was the one to take the lead for both of them. His hand rested on Yuri's shoulder and shot him a knowing look. "You're in love, Yuri. No need to be difficult. Don't go refuting it. It's true. We've seen how you look at him. We've been around you long enough to know that this is no simple fascination. Hell, it was Constance that suggested it in the first place. She noticed you drooling over him at the training grounds." Yuri balked at the words. He could not help but feel his cheeks burn at the thought of being so obvious.

“P-preposterous! I am not in love with Byleth,” His voice was failing him. Any semblance of a facade was gone the moment he tried to fight back. He was grateful their discussion garnered no other eyes than their own. The merchants continued to bark out to customers like nothing else was going on. “I order you two to discard the thought,” He pleaded.

His friends shared a look and returned to their doubtful expressions. It was a losing battle. "Nope. You're lovesick. Admit it for both our sakes," Balthus commented with no tact or respect for the man's feelings.

“Face it, Yuri.” Hapi chimed in again. “Your heart is on Chatterbox. You love him. We know it. You know it. And, he may not know it, but he should know it.”

Even if he was supposedly partial to Byleth, there was no telling if the other shared the same kind of interest. It was silly to think that the other would even accept a confession from himself. They were close. Very close. However, Byleth was not exclusively his. Dimitri, Annette, Mercedes, and so many others could be in his heart. “Assuming I do like him how you described, what makes you think I should?”

Hapi massaged her temples at the question while Balthus did all he could to stifle his laugh. Neither seemed willing to provide a clear answer. Yuri clicked his tongue at the reception from the two. “Any reason?” He pressed again, willing to give them one more try to convince him otherwise.

"We were not just noticing you staring. We noticed him staring at you from time to time," Hapi specified. "As difficult as he is to read, you would be silly not to acknowledge how close you two are on the battlefield." The redhead spelled it out perfectly, and yet Yuri was unwilling to listen. He turned his back to the present company.

“Thanks, but no thanks. I am not in love. You two are just reading too much into things,” His dismissiveness was not enough to cover up his hope. The possibility of reciprocating his feelings was a pleasant thought. It gave him hope for the future. There could be something to come from the final confrontation.

Yuri paused. He looked back on the two. “Why do you two feel the need to press me on this now? I have been feeling... I may have been feeling fond of him for some time. Why now?” The question was met with more entertainment at his expense. They both looked like he had asked a silly question. Their behavior certainly did not fit his station and rank over them.

Balthus was the one to quell Yuri's curiosity on the matter. "We are about to reach the endgame. No better time to confess than once the fighting is over, eh? Either you die or you live to present your ring. A fair wager, right? Willing to make that one with me?" His words harkened back to their countless bets at the training grounds. It was a hobby of the two men to gamble. The prospect of betting on whether or not they would live was morbid, but he could understand the other's motives.

“I’ll pass,” He answered coldly. He wandered off from there, slowly distancing himself from the ring that drew his attention in the first place. The object cried out for him as he wandered off. The walk did little to clear his head. His mind was solely on the conversation between himself and the other two.

He found himself imagining the outcome of their battle. The survivors all cheer. Edelgard is slain. They all make a victorious march back to Garreg Mach. They spend the following days relaxing, only to begin to harken in the new age soon after. Where was he in that future? He imagined himself in the Goddess Tower. The view overlooked the monastery and the foliage around it. He was not alone however. Byleth stood beside him. Their hands held together, a particular emerald ring on the other man's finger.

In that possible future, they had each other and vowed to remember one another. Perhaps, he yearned to hear his name leave Byleth’s lips. It was hard to make out the details, but it all seemed serene. 

The image in his mind incited a smile. A warm feeling overtook him. He loved the prospect. That future did not seem so bad. The fear of death and failure were eclipsed by the prospect of making that vision come to pass. It was a pleasant thought to cling on to. He wished to usher in the new era with jubilation, both for himself and Fódlan.

He discarded the thought as he tried to cling to not holding any real affections for the man. It was foolish to think up such an implausible situation. Yet, his eyes honed in on the man in the distance. From where he stood, he noticed that familiar green hair by the graveyard. Yuri naturally found himself gravitating toward the figure. He said nothing as he stared on at Byleth look on at his father's grave.

It was not hard to discern that his former professor was paying his respects to his parents before the road ahead. It was a noble sight. One that inspired Yuri to make sure to say farewell to his mother. She was bound to be worried about the battles ahead.

Yuri did not wish to bother Byleth with simple small talk, so he attempted to walk off in the opposite direction. Instead of slipping away, he felt a tug on his cloak. His eyes met a mint color. It appeared that his approach was not missed by the man. “Yuri, what brings you here?” He asked.

The lord of the underground offered a shrug to the question. “I saw you by your lonesome and thought to check in on you. You seem fine though,” He answered. He made no mention of his inner thoughts. It would be embarrassing to approach the other on matters of the heart in a cemetery.

One of Byleth’s hands was formed in a fist. The observation was noticed by Yuri, but he did not think much of the sight. It was a simple peculiarity. His eyes wandered back to Byleth’s for a response. “I was thinking back on my father’s words. I do not want to enter this battle with any regrets or any distracting thoughts.”

“Distracting thoughts?” Yuri voiced, unsure of what the other meant by that. The wording invited confusion.

Byleth nodded his head in confirmation. "I do not want my mind to wander on the battlefield. I want to clear my thoughts here. Instead of getting caught up on details on the battlefield, I decided to settle everything here and now." It was a long-winded answer from his professor's standards. To a normal person, it was somewhat lacking in detail.

Yuri hummed at the sentiment all the same. “You have things you wish to think over? Why not wait till after everything is settled first?” It was reasonable not to waste time on frivolous thoughts. It sounded like an ideal time to procrastinate on anything outside of capturing Enbarr.

“No,” He stated flatly, “I do not need to put it off. The future will be for us to see all our hard work come together.”

The explanation did not fully register with Yuri. Yet, it oddly appealed to him. He wanted to hear more of the man’s wisdom. “What if the future is not all it's cracked up to be?”

“All the more reason to prepare now than later,” He answered with no pause. The intent in his eyes was enough to sway the lavender-haired man not to criticize the thought. It was sensible to prepare for the moment. It meant that he could not delay. He could not dawdle on his complications. He could not deny what was developing when he was pressed by a countdown. It was all an effort to see a definitive future. If he twiddled his thumbs and stuck his head in the mud, there was no telling when the future he envisioned would arrive. The act of avoiding the possible chance to confess meant that someone else could come in and pluck the man.

“What if it just ruins the moment? Think about it. You put together some thought out plan for after the war, but it does not go your way. It sounds like it could make everything awkward.” Yuri could imagine that a botched confession could sour a great victory. He did not wish to ruin a momentous occasion for the other. His feelings could ruin Byleth’s happiest moment.

Byleth did acknowledge the question, but he did not answer it directly. "Trust me, Yuri. I do not know what my decision will bring. I have my foresight, but my thoughts remain firm. If it fails, I may not be happy."

The wording of the other raised a number of questions, but he did not wish to interrupt the conversation. He needed guidance to know what to do next. From what Byleth stated, Yuri's question was not answered yet. "Then why bother in the first place? I am all for making gambles, but I generally choose my battles that I know I will win."

"I do not know if I will succeed, but..." The green-haired man closed his eyes and thought to himself momentarily. "I feel that it is worth any risk." His eyes wandered back to the grave. Therein lied his parents. Jeralt Eisner. Sitri Eisner. Yuri knew both names. Aelfric, a cardinal of the church, often mentioned the late lady of the Eisner name in passing. He recounted tales of how he wished to have been the one to reach for her hand before Byleth's father. His desire to seal his fate and withdraw his affections cost him the woman he coveted.

While Yuri was unaware of anyone in particular that sought out Byleth, the recollections from Aelfric told enough. They told of the cost of waiting or not relying on one's confidence. Yuri was a strong personality and hardly ever yielded, only willing to concede to the likes of Byleth. He would concede to the man... he may love, but he would not concede the man he might love. The fear of failure was nothing compared to the regret of losing out.

Yuri's mind went back to what Byleth initially stated was his reasoning for visiting Jeralt. Regrets and distracting thoughts. If he did not know any better, it sounded as though the man himself was in the same situation. Rather than take it as a defeat or assume the worst, the Ashen Wolf felt vindicated. Byleth may or may not have decided on someone at that moment, but that did not stop himself from taking that leap into a better future.

He was going to attempt to see that future through. He had to make sure it happened. He loved Byleth. He would not give up Byleth. His determination manifested in his smirk. “Worth the risk? Tell me one more thing, friend. Do you think the goddess is looking out for you?” He was not one for religion, but he had entertained the thought all the same.

The question earned a rare chuckle from the professor. Byleth offered a small smile, one that turned Yuri's cheeks pink at its radiance. "Yes. And I'm sure she wants me to do the right thing." His words were strange, but that was one of the things he loved most about the other. He appreciated Byleth's oddities. They always kept him on his feet and guessing. Perhaps, he would learn about the man's secrets one day. There would be plenty of time after the future he envisioned was fulfilled.

Yuri chuckled to himself, readying his last question. “One final thing,” He spoke up, “would you be willing to have a chat with me at the Goddess Tower once all this is over? It’s a pretty isolated spot. A good place to chat.” He spoke in a casual manner, making no effort to allude to what he had in mind.

Byleth’s oblivious nature was a blessing as he nodded his head and asked nothing of the request. Yuri preferred that the other did not know the truth until he said his piece. After all, he yearned to see the man’s reaction. He hoped that it would be enough to make the other flustered.

He gave Byleth a curt wave as he wandered off in the direction he came from. It was not long after that he returned to that stall and selected the very emerald ring that caught his eye moments prior. The future was bright for Yuri.


End file.
